(redone) Taste of cigarettes, the taste of tea
by Tot2
Summary: Same summary as the first version, but this one's been edited a slight bit.
1. Sour Dough

The taste of Cigarettes, the taste of Tea.  
  
Part one::Sour Dough  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own nuttin'. 'Cept Rori, and my own creative genius. Hah. Genius, right.  
  
Rori stumbled out of the ship's cargo hold, it had been hell down there for the past three weeks with the rats and the mice, and just about nothing to eat or drink, so the glare of the sun was a little disorienting. Tripping over a pile of rope she looked up at her surroundings. Of all the places in New York to end up in, shit, this can't be no good.  
  
Of all the places in the world to end up, Brooklyn had to be about the worst. Well, sure, this was New York, but Brooklyn was known as being the city's most dangerous district. It didn't bother Rori too much though, she might be a girl and all but she could damn well soak just about any guy who made a deal of it. Still, no good could come of it.  
  
Picking up her bag she disentangled herself from the rope and swung the bag over her shoulder, straightened her hat and began to walk.  
  
Her tight leather shoes clacked against the cobble road, and made a kinda' shuffling noise that's comforting to the ear after three weeks on board a ship with no solid ground to stand on. Shuffling through her pockets she found a cigarette and stuck it in the corner of her mouth.  
  
"Smokin' ain't no use on ships, if ya smoke the damn sailors will smell it an throw you off board". She told herself out loud, frowning at the grim prospect and pulling a book of matches from the back pocket of her britches, lighting the cigarette with her left hand.  
  
She wondered around the shipping yard for a while, she was going to head to the Brooklyn Bridge in the morning, all sorts of low-life creeps hung around down there at night, or so she'd heard.  
  
"Betta find a boat to sleep in down by ta' river or somethin'." She mused, picking her way through a collection of barrels and carts. It was still early, 'bout 5 o'clock or so, judging from the sun, but she still didn't expect to find anyone down by the river.  
  
It shocked her a little to see the group of young boys, between the ages of eight to eighteen around the docks. She didn't let that detour her though, boys was just boys anyway. She walked down the docks for a way before getting stopped by a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years, her was tall and towered a good four inches above her small 5'5" frame. Probably didn't notice she was a girl with her hair under her hat and the loose jacket she was wearing.  
  
"You goin' somewhere, kid?"  
  
"Yeah I'se goin' somewherese," She replied, annoyed at this sudden, unexpected inconvenience.  
  
"and you's 'd be wantin' ta get outta my way so's I can get there."  
  
"Watch yourself kid, you're in Spot Conol's terrirory here, and us Brooklyn newsies don't take no crap from no one, ya hear me?"  
  
Rori rolled her eyes from beneath the brim of her cap.  
  
"Yeah I hears you, and I don't mean no trouble 'neither, just gotta take care of a little business, that's all."  
  
She shoved her way past the stupid loafer and began to walk away before he seized her upper arm suddenly and pushed her off the docks. " Damn it you joik!" she shrieked, grabbing the front of his shirt in an attempt to pull him in with her. She succeeded. The yelling and the loud splash had obviously attracted the other newsies attention, because when she surfaced again there was a crowd of them around the area she had just fallen from. Pulling herself to the edge of the water, she attempted to hoist herself back on to the dock.  
  
"My my my, what's all this about then?"  
  
The newsies turned and moved aside, as the boy who just spoke approached them. He leaned over the edge of the dock and held out a hand to the boy in the water, hoisting him out . He walked further down the dock to where Rori was furiously trying to get her footing and muttering to herself.  
  
"Damn joik pushin' me in ta the water, al me cigg's gone soaked now, useless."  
  
"And what kinda bedraggled water rat do we have here?" The boy asked, holding a gold-ended cane in front of her face. "And whose might you be, kid?"  
  
"Who I'se be ain't none of your concoin." Was the sharp retort. Spot smirked,  
  
"Well, I thinks it's me conjoin' since you're just pushed one a me mates in ta this here river. Not a good thing to do in Brooklyn."  
  
Rori almost spat at him, and falling back she yelled, "You say I pushed him in ta the river!"  
  
"Yes I says that, now, would you like a hand out a there or is you content with freezin' ta death?"  
  
he asked, and she had to admit he made sense.  
  
Rori reluctantly gave him her hand, and was pulled forcefully out of the water to land face-first on the dock. Giggles were heard from the several of the other newsies. Rori got to her feet, shooting Spot, who was also chuckling, her best death glare.  
  
"Shut it!" She barked at him, causing his smirk to turn in to a frown, he being no longer amused with this verbal abuse being directed so pointedly at his person.  
  
He grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her face, still partially hidden by the hat, up to his  
  
"Now you look here, kid, I dun know who you are, or what you gone and done to one a me boys here, but no one talks to Spot Conol that way, not it Brooklyn and not no where else, ya understand?" She pushed him off her harshly, causing him to stumble slightly.  
  
"I don't care who you are or where I'se at, no one's gonna tell me how ta speak to them."  
  
"Oh yeah, yeah, is that what you think, huh kid?" Spot asked her calmly, "You think that you can just go around insulting me and my boys?"  
  
Rori had given up on reasoning, and was quite prepared to shove her fist in his face. It was a bad idea and she knew it, but seeing the look on his face was worth it without question. He fell back on to the dock, suprised and clearly a little shaken. He gingerly touched his lip, which was bleeding, and stood up. The boys had formed a circle around them and were now jeering at them, yelling at Spot and telling him to soak the kid. Spot knew that any kid who'd do that to him deserved it back at least twice as hard.  
  
Spot ran at her, and after a few unsuccessful swings managed to land a punch to the side of her head, knocking her over. Reeling with pain and the sudden onslaught of dizziness, Rori didn't think twice about pulling off her cap to tend to the wound, which was a bad idea. As soon as she pulled it off the pile of wet hair came tumbling down around her face.  
  
"Shit! It's a goil!" One of the boys said.  
  
Spot blinked, and suddenly regretted his poor choice of actions. Cute kid he thought, Too bad I didn't notice that before.  
  
."Hey, is you alright?" He asked, kneeling beside her. "D'you think I'm alright ya prick!?" Rori, who was not one to take pity at all, especially if it was because she was a girl, yelled in his face.  
  
Spot mumbled some sort of apology, which just made Rori's anger soar. "Oh shove it up your hole you lousy git! I don't wanna hear you apologisin' ta me jus' 'cause I'se a girl or nuttin'!"  
  
Spot had to admit, she had guts, so he decided he could forgive her for that one, considering what he'd just done, and grabbed her by the elbow, hoisting her to her feet. He slung her arm around his shoulder to hold her up "Well, come on little fire ball, let's get you somethin' ta eat." Rori was confused "What are you doing?" "Well," Spot replied, and then paused, seemingly in though  
  
"It takes allot of guts to stand up to the likes of me, allot of guts and stupidity, I might add. But no, I figure that since you didn't know so much well--- Not many goils, or bois for dat matta' would dare do somethin' like that to me if thay knows who I am, maybe on in a million or somethin'. So I figure you'se is alright." Rori shrugged, and pulled herself off him.  
  
"Alright, but just so ya knows it Spot, I can walk by me self."  
  
  
  
The next day, Rori met Spot down at the docks, she had agreed to meet him the night before, in exchange for a free meal, that was. When she got there, Spot was facing the Brooklyn Bridge; he pointed at it with his cane, turned around and smirked at her, that stupid smirk.  
  
"So, that's where you'se is goin', is I correct?" Rori nodded.  
  
"yeah, that's where I'm goin'. The east end, no sense stayin' here in Brookly."  
  
"Naw naw, come on, what's da matta with Brooklyn?"  
  
"Two woids: Spot Conol." Spot chuckled.  
  
"I like you kid, I likes you allot, an as I said before, you got guts. This city could use a kid like you, 'specially someplace as borin' as the east end." He said, tapping her chin with the end of the cane.  
  
"So, what's yer name kid? Or do I have ta keep callin' you fire ball?"  
  
"Name's Rori."  
  
"Rori, dat's a weird name, ain't it?"  
  
"Yeah, well Spot's not exactly yer average name eider." Spot sighed,  
  
"Come on, I'll walk ya cross the bridge."  
  
"You dun need ta walk me, I can look after me self."  
  
"It's not you'se I'm worried about, it's the East side I'se is worryin' about. Gotta give 'em some pre-shock treatment before you'se goes bargin' in." 


	2. Chess

Tot: Thanks B-Rock, sorry about the bad grammar! I'll try harder! But thanks for your review!  
  
Part two::Chess  
  
  
  
Jack was sitting outside the News Boys lodging house with Mush, Blink, Davy, Racetrack, and of course Les, who was to be found wherever his older brother Davy was. Jack sighed and sucked on the end of his cigarette, passing it along to Mush.  
  
Things had certainly gotten slow in the months after the strike. Jack was certainly glad it was over, but in another he was disappointed.  
  
Lately, his thoughts had been straying to Santa Fe, which was a no good thing now that he'd promised to stay. There were people here, people who cared about him, relied on him, and even downright got on his nerves, but they were family. He could never leave his family, but ... there was simply nothing to do.  
  
If somethin' don't happen soon I'se gonna go nuts! I'm a cowboy, everybody knows Cowboys needs some excitement in their lives For betta or for woise, don't make much of a difference, excitement's excitement after all.  
  
"Hey a there, Jacky boy!"  
  
Jack turned at the sound of the familiar voice, and the sound of a familiar nickname.  
  
"Hey a Spot, what might you'se be doin' down here in the East End?"  
  
Jack asked with an air of curiosity, a solitary eyebrow raised, one knew that whenever Spot Colon was around things were sure to get interesting.  
  
"I've come to introduce you to someone Jacky boy, new street rat lookin' for board in the lodging house."  
  
Spot leaned in closer, and said in a somewhat hushed voice so the others wouldn't hear.  
  
"You betta watch out, this one's a real live-wire."  
  
That certainly peaked Jack's interest.  
  
Spot commended himself, looking for a moment, slightly smug and grinning like a madman. After the moment was over, he raised his head and looked around.  
  
Now where's the kid got to? Damn 'er if she's gone an run off on me.  
  
"Hey, fireball! Get over here!" He yelled when he caught sight of her, she was walking out of a small restaurant, newspaper-wrapped sandwich in one hand and her pack tucked under one arm. Upon hearing him, she hurried over, breaking in to a trot across the street.  
  
"Well Jacky boy, I'd like ya to meet Rori. Rori, may I present you with the infamous Jack Kelly!"  
  
There was a moment of silence as both Rori and Jack surveyed eachother, evidently sizing eachother up. Jack could swear on his mother's grave, (not that he would ever do such a thing) that she was daring him to challenge her because she was a, well, because, well ... she was a she.  
  
The silence dragged on for a while before Blink, not one to like sudden, arkward silences coughed and spoke up.  
  
"A goil in tha lodgin' house?" He asked, a little bewildered, but not rejecting the idea at all. Rori dropped her bag, and used it as a cusion to sit on, she carefully unwrapped the sandwich from the used newspaper, which made a crinkling-crackling sound, before taking a bite out of the sandwich, and chewing slowly. After she swollowed, she looked from boy to boy questioningly.  
  
"What? There ain't no goils never been in the lodgin' house?" she asked, her voice hinting on bewilderment.  
  
Racetrack chortled,  
  
"Well, there'se been goils in the lodgin' house before, only they tends ta just spend a night or two!" he jested.  
  
The group of boys broke down in laughter.  
  
David was the only one to noticed the scowl slowly forming on Rori's face. Wanting to avoid a confrontation, he stood up, holding out his hand for a shake.  
  
"Don't mind them, they don't know what they're talking about anyway." He told her, shrugging.  
  
Grudgingly, Rori accepted his polite explanation, accepted his hand and shook it roughly.  
  
Spot clapped David on the back.  
  
"Well, if it ain't Davy, da walkin' mouth!"  
  
"And a real gentleman!" Blink added, and David blushed slightly.  
  
"Awlright awlright awlright! Enough with pleasantries 'an all that, can someone jus tell me if there's a room at the bordin' house or do I have to hoof it back to Brooklyn?" Rori demanded.  
  
"Naw naw, nothin' ta worry yourself over lil' lady, I was jus gettin' ta that." Jack grinned.  
  
"Jack kelly, I do believe that you'se is going to see the back of me hand across yer face many times before it hits you that I don't wanna be called nuttin like 'lil' lady' neva." She said, making a fist with one hand, and holding it as menacingly as possible in front of him. But even she couldn't hold back a small grin at the whole situation.  
  
From somewhere to her left Mush giggled.  
  
"Dya get that Davy? Les? Racetrack? She said ... she said ... back of her hand an ... until it hits 'im!"  
  
he desolved in to giggles and rolled around on the pavement clutching at his stomach.  
  
"You betta jus ignore that, too easily amused dat boy." Racetrack remarked, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, with his patented 'smug' look plastered on his face.  
  
"I think der's room in the boardin' house fer one more, whatta you say boys?" Jack proposed.  
  
"I dunno Jack, there's room in our dorms, but that's just ours, an only for one more, the rest a the rooms is all full." Blink returned.  
  
"I don't mind where I sleep as long as I don't have ta sleep in the gutter." Rori mumbled.  
  
"Alwright, it's settled then, I'll introduce yas ta the lan lord tonight. But in the mean time, it's probably best that you learns everyone's name, so's that you can yell at them by name, huh?" Jack laughed at his own lame joke.  
  
Jack motioned a thumb at Racetrack. "That there's Racetrack," Racetrack murmured a greeting, and went back to his daydreaming. "that, that there, the one who was rolling on the ground, that's Mush." Mush gave Rori a broad smile and a small wave. "Besides him, as you know, that's Davy, an beside Davy, that's Davy's lil' brudda –" "My name's Les!" The scrawny little boy jumped up, and went over to greet Rori, holding out his hand for a shake, which Rori had to bend down to comply with. "Hey Les,"  
  
She smiled at him but didn't make a huge fuss like most girls did, even though he was so adorable.  
  
Instead, she grabbed her bag off the pavement and fished about in it for a moment before handing him some gumdrops in a crumpled paper bag, as soon as he got it he snatched the gumdrops out and shoved them in his mouth. "Thanks Rori!" He mumbled around the sweets. "No problem Les, enjoy." He returned to his seat content and grinning. He decided that he liked Spot's new friend very much.  
  
Rori turned back to the others, expecting Jack to introduce the last member of the group, the very peculiar boy with sandy hair, sharp features and a brown leather eye patch. Just as Jack was opening his mouth, the boy jumped out, bowed slightly, and introduced himself with as much charisma as possible as Kid Blink. "And now my dear lady, shall we take you to get somethin' ta eat? The restaurant perhaps? There's a lovely little spot across the street, not bad food, and did I mention that it's cheap?" He asked, extending his arm out to her, presuming that she would hook hers around his.  
  
"But I just bought a sandwich." She said, holding it up to him. "How 'bout you jus' take me to the boardin' house right now?" Jack shook his head  
  
"No, I want you ta meet the otha's foist. You comin' Spot?" he inquired of the boy who had been standing, for quite a time now, watching with great amusement the scene that was unfolding before him.  
  
"I, I don't think so Jack, if I stay outta Brooklyn too long some guy's gonna march in there an take over. I'll see ya some time Jack, Davy, Fire ball."  
  
Rori frowned at him. "You wanna repeat of yesterday's little 'incident'? I told you not to call me that." Spot laughed, and ignored her  
  
"See ya 'round, fire ball." With that he walked off, hands in his pockets whistling something to himself.  
  
"That guy sure as hell bugs me sometimes." Rori said quietly, glaring at the now minute figure that was Spot.  
  
"Well we better get goin'." Jack said, walking past Rori and heading in the general direction of the square. The other's followed him.  
  
Rori lagged behind, taking in the scenery: the peddlers with their bread and what-not, the filthy streets covered in the remains of yesterday's papes, the buildings with snow-white and gray laundry hung in between, the children with their mothers in small imitation sailor suits.  
  
After a moment of walking, Jack realized that they were missing someone. At first he thought it was Les, but when he looked to his side he saw the small boy tagging along at his side. He turned, seeing the dot that was Rori and yelled at her. When she didn't respond after a few more yells, he told the boys to go on ahead, and ran back to get her. He had a feeling that if he just yelled at her or scolded she would retort, so instead, he did something entirely against his nature and picked her up, hauling her in a most unglentlemanly like manner over his shoulder. God, what would Sarah think?  
  
"Geeze goil, can't you hear at all? Do I have to drag you all the way there or something?" he spat at her, she was heavier than she looked.  
  
For a few moments she was too stunned to do anything, but then started cussing at him, at which he threatened to drop her if she didn't shut up. Well, that shut her up. He thought.  
  
"Now, if I put ya's down will you promise not ta get distracted again?"  
  
"Awright awright, I'll behave." She muttured, he dropped her, letting her land roughly on the pavement.  
  
Rori fumed, ever since she'd arrived in this miserable city she used to call home she had been shoved around, pushed over and damn well insulted more times than she could count. Things were going miserably.  
  
"Come on, get up." He said, giving her a hand. She ignored the offer and stood up on her own, dusting off her now dusty togs.  
  
He had to admit she was pretty cute though. Small, slight figure, he towered a good four or five inches over her, long dark hair that fell in wispy, not-quite curls framed a pretty, if somewhat too pale face, and a pair of wickedly bright blue eyes. He couldn't hold back a stupid grin from crossing his face. After all, Jack Kelly or not, he was still human.  
  
"What'a you grinning about?"  
  
He suddenly realized she was talking as she repeated the question.  
  
"What are you grinning about!?"  
  
"Oh, er, nuttin', nuttin'." He replied, dismissing it with a wave of his hand as he forced the grin from his face.  
  
After a few moments they reached the square and headed towards the statue. A large group of boys were sitting on and around it, some standing, some leaning on the rails.  
  
"Hey guys!" He waved to his friends and fellow newsies.  
  
The waved back at him, some saying a 'hi' or a 'how are ya' or 'how'se it goin' Jack?'  
  
"Boys, I'd like to introduce you'se all to someone." He sidestepped so that they could see Rori. There were some cat calls, whistles and other such noises directed at the girl, which she just ignored, until Jack raised his arms for quiet. "Now now, this is Rori, and she's gonna be stayin' at the boarding house from now on." There was a general whoop from the crowd of boys.  
  
"Eh eh eh!" Jack silenced them again, once again holding his hands in the air.  
  
"Now I don't want no funny business, and you all know what I mean by that." There were scattered bursts of laughter and a buzz of chatter.  
  
"Okay, okay, shut up. Look here, like I said, no funny business, because if there is any funny business, it's not my fist that'll end up in yer face, it's hers. Trust me on that one."  
  
Rori didn't comment on that, but the newsies knew that if Jack said it sounding serious, he was probably serious, and they didn't want to take any chanses.  
  
"How old are 'ya?" Specs asked, and there was another buzz of chatter from the crowd.  
  
"Thoiteen goin' on sixteen." Was Rori's reply.  
  
"So dat's thoiteen durin' woik hours and fifteen durin' off-hours." Blink confirmed.  
  
"Dat's what I said, wasn't it Blink?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, just clearin' that up for some a the slower ones."  
  
"Right, the slower ones, you sure you ain't one yerself?"  
  
"Hey! Now look here, goil or no goil I don't appreciate that!"  
  
"You ain't got the brains to appriciate nothin' more than food an' sleep, Blink!"  
  
Within seconds Blink and Rori were in fighting stance, ready to escalate the exchange of witty banter in to fisticuffs. Jack stepped between them. "Come on, come on, you can kill eachother after I introduce you all. And for another thing, I don't want this kid dead or hurt Blink, with a face like that I could move twice as many papes a week than I am already with Davy and Les."  
  
"My face? What about my face? An who says he could soak me!?"  
  
"No one said he could soak you'se, so shut up 'bout that for once, will ya? An' about the face, well, in my expoit opinion it's a very pretty face, people likes pretty faces, don't they boys?" Jack explained.  
  
There was a buzz of agreement from the crowd.  
  
"Yeah, well it's my face and I plan to use it to sell my papes."  
  
She shot back.  
  
"Look, we can argue about this later, but for now, let's get everyone introduced."  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm sorry that this is so ... weird. I can understand if you don't like it. And my spelling is awful! Please review though, constructive criticism is good! 


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